Spring-cushion construction



March 15,1927. 1,621,091

s. SUEKOFF SPRING CUSHION CONSTRUCTION Filed July 6, 1925 SAMUEL SUEKOFF, OF GHICAGQ, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-CUSI-EIGN CQNSTRUCTION.

Application filed Julyfi, 1925. Serial No. 41,466.

that thelcushioncan be loaded with springs,

with the least amount of time and labor.

The object of the present invention is therefore, to provide a method of further reducingthe labor-cost ofcushion construction,.attention being called to the fact that in the ;present highly competitive state of the spring-cushion industry, an unprofitable businessmaybecomeprofitable by an appar ently inconsequentialsaving in the item of labor costs. Thus, the elimination in one step of 'the manufacturing process, .or the completion of two steps in a single operation, or a more :cflioient treatment of the material in -,;preparation for assembling, would be important to the manufacturer :in meeting competition. I

andrits applicability to the art will be better appreciatedzas the process is disclosed with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 ;is a :perspective view showing the :first step of assembling the material which formsoneof thecovers-and a portion o'fthevinternal structure of the cushion. Y I

Figure 2 is ,a similar view of the piece shown in Figure 1, after it has been cut, as the second step in the process.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the piece shown in Figure 2 ,with the partition walls in ,place, as theithird step.

,Figuret is a topplan View of thefinished cushion with portions broken away to show the .interiorconstruction.

I Figure 5-is adetailview in vertical section taken-oniline 5.5 ofFigure 4 and v Figure 6 is a similar view taken on line 6 6 of .Figure 4; I I

Regarding first the structure of the cushion as a whole, the same consists of top and bottom pieces 1 and 2, of suitable fabric, such as burlap, sewn together at their edges in a seam 3. extending around the cushion between the top and bottom thereof, the marginal portions of these pieces forming the boxing or end and side walls oft-he cushion.

Within the outer covering formed by the pieces 1 and 2, are a series of continuous partition strips l extending the .it'ull length (or width) of thecushion, with the longitudinal edges, sewn to thetopand bottomcover pieces. These partition strips are. parallelwith eachother'and clividetheeinterior space of the cushion into a plurality oflfull length compartments. i

These compartments formed between the partition strips 4, and'between the outeiwof such strips and the parallel end (or side) walls of the cover, are'divided lengthwise into a plurality of smaller compartments or cells, bYlIlQELIlSOf vertical 'division wallsor tabs 5, extending at right angles to-the p'artition strips. These division walls 5are-arranged in rowseither-lengthwise -or crosswise'of the-cushion, with just sufiicient space between their adjacent side .edges toclear the partition strips 4; These tabs are stitched at one end to the bottom piece 2, and at their other ends to socalled ,connecting strips 6 which .lie .fiatwise' against I the top piece 1 and extend parallel with the IOfsuoha natureis the present invention partition strips and between their .upper edges. As a preferable construction, only one edge of the connecting strips are-sewn to top pieces, namely, by .a single lineof stitching, which serves togattaoh both the edge of the connecting strips and the edge of theadjacent partition strip Alto the top cover .piece leaving .the opposite edge free, as will presently be described in detail.

In the actual processor manufactura'one side of .the cushion is left-open or unsewn for the insertion of the springs 7. These springs are helical coils of .wire,oii' adength equal to the heightof the finished cushion, and are adapted to stand upright :under slight-compression within each :ot the small compartments or cells. ,As .a ;preferable method of loading the cushion with; springs,

an implement known as a loading tool is used in which, a number ofsprings equivalent to the number constituting a single row, are 'held flatly compressed within-the tool, which is inserted into the Qpenend of zthe cushion and along one side of :each :longi tudinal compartment formed between 5110- cessive partition strips, the tool being held 7 i so that the flattened springs pass through the openings between the partition strips and the adjacent edges of the tabs. As a preferable method, the tool is inserted along ,What'is called the tight side of the spring compartments, that is, the side adjacent the stitched edges of the connecting str1ps 6,

the opposite edge being the loose side so- I called because the free or unsewn edges of the connecting strips secure the tabs 5 to the top piece 1 at one end only.

i The primary advantage is the provision of-the connecting strips 6 which servev as intermediate members not only joining the tabs atone end" indirectly to the adjacent cover member, but affording the loose con- 7 structionthat permits the flexibilitythat is essential torapid, and convenient loading of the cushion with springs.

Having thus-disclosed generally the structure of the cushion and the method of spring loading, the processfor forming and asseinbling the material for the cushion will now be described, bearing in mind that reference ,to the top and bottom of the cushion serves only to make the description clear.

As the first step in the process, two rectangular pieces of fabric are first provided, one being the bottom cover piece 2, and the other an'unsevered piece 6 which ultimately is converted into the connecting strips 6. These pieces lie in parallel planes with a series of parallel strips5 ext-ending transversely between them with their edges 7 stitched to said pieces 2 and 6 as shown in Figure 1.

This assembled structure is then applied to a suitable frame which holds or stretches the several pieces taut, as they appear in Figure '1. I Thus stretched the assembly is subjected to a cutting or slitting process whereby gang cutters act to sever the upper piece 6? and the strips 5" transversely of their length down to the bottom piece 2, but leaving the latter intact, as shown in Figure 2. In this way the unsevered piece 6* is converted intothe connecting strips 6 and the strips 5 into the individual tabs 5 by a single cutting operation. vantage of this'method is that tab forming strips 5 can be stitched to an unsevered piece of fabric, and then cut by one operation into the connecting strips and tabs, with much lesslaborthan sewing the ends of eachindividual' tab first to a connecting strip andthensewing the other ends separately to the bottom piece, all of which is a very tedious and time consuming operation. 1 'Having thus provided the bottom piece 2 with the tabs 5 and connecting strips 6 stitched thereto, as shown in Figure 2, a series of partition strips 4, are inserted along the rows of slits 5 between the tabs, and

The obvious ad-v their lower edges sewed down to the bottom connecting strips to the top piece,rby'

stitches 8. I 7

It is to be particularly observed that the single lines of stitching 8 are used for this purpose, which extends along one edge of each connecting strip, namely, alongthe left hand edge as shown in Figure 41-. It is to be also observed that the hem or marginal portion 4 of each partition strip, is folded over upon the edge of each adjacent connecting strip, so that the single line of stitching 8 also secures these margins in place, between the top piece and the connecting strips, thus passing through three thicknesses of the fabric; thus the pieces are all assembled and sewn together with the upper ends of the tabs 5, stitched to the connecting strips 6, which are only fixedto.

the top piece along one edge, the remaining portion being loose, for convenience in,

loading, but which assumes an extended position as soon as the springs are inserted,

and the cushion completed. 1

As before explained, this process of assembling of unsevered pieces and strips to form the connecting strips and tabs,"by a gang cutting process, but without severing the bottom piece, results in a marked saving of time and labor in the manufacture of spring cushions, the reason being that it eliminates the sewing of amultitude of short seams, each of which is a separate sewing operation. 1

I claim as my invention: r

l. A method of constructing spring cushions, consisting of providing two piecesof .material, connecting them by a series of parallel'strips extending at right angles to said pieces, holding said assembled pieces taut and cutting one of said pieces and said strips along parallel lines transverse to said strips and down to the other piece, and applying a piece corresponding to said unsevered piece over said severed piece and sewingone edge'of the strips of said severed piece to said last mentioned piece.-

2. A method of constructing spring cushions consisting of assembling'two pieces of fabric with a series of parallel strips'extending transversely between said pieces, slitting 7 one of said pieces and said strips crosswise of the latter down to the other piece to form I a series of connecting strips and relatively narrow tabs, inserting a partition strip between each row of tabs and stitching the same to the unsevered piece along one of their edges, applying a cover piece over said connecting strips and stitching one edge of each connecting strip thereto together with the adjacent free edges of each partition strip.

3. A method of constructing spring cushions consisting of assembling two pieces of fabric with a series of parallel strips ex tending transversely between said pieces, stretching said assembled pieces in extended form, and slitting thesarne crosswise of said strips down tothe base edges thereof, inserting partition strips along the slits and sewing their base edges to the unsevered piece, applying a cover piece over the severed piece of said assembly, and sewing the same along parallel lines of sewing to the free edges of said partition-strips and the severed piece adjacent each slit therein.

Signed at Chicago, 111., July, 1925,

SAMUEL SUEKOFF.

this 3 day of V 

